UPDATE: Sunday afternoon, the Lakers made things official by waiving veteran guard Shake Milton, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics have one of the fiercest rivalries in all of sports as the two sides are the most storied franchises in NBA history. That history only makes it that much more interesting when one fan-favorite joins the other side as a free agent.
That is what happened on Saturday evening as the Lakers' roster for the 2025-26 campaign is coming together after Rob Pelinka reportedly added another veteran with a defensive pedigree to the fold in Marcus Smart.
The addition of Smart means another roster move will need to be made, and it seems like the writing is on the wall for one veteran.
Lakers Expected to Cut Ties with Shake Milton After Marcus Smart Addition
After being acquired by the Purple and Gold mid-season, the Lakers and veteran guard Shake Milton are expected to part ways now that Smart is heading to Los Angeles, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.com.
The Lakers were on the clock to decide on Milton's future, as the guarantee date on his contract for the 2025-26 season was July 20. The ability to get out of his contract for nothing made Milton the natural choice to be waived so space could be made on the roster for the addition of Smart.
In 30 appearances for the Purple and Gold this past season, including one start, Milton averaged 3.9 points to go along with 1.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 11.5 minutes per game. Despite being three years younger than Smart, there is little doubt that, when healthy, the former Celtics guard can offer the Lakers more on both ends of the floor than Milton can.
Smart came to the Washington Wizards as a salary filler in a trade. However, for obvious reasons, he never made sense as part of the rotation after joining the franchise. He proved during his brief stint in the nation's capital that he can still play, though, averaging 9.3 points, 2.5 assists, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 18.7 minutes per game. Now, after securing a buyout, the pathway for Smart to head to Los Angeles is clear, and the Lakers will be welcoming him with open arms.
With LeBron James only under contract for this coming season and his future with the franchise anything but certain, making an addition like Smart makes it clear that winning now is still just as much of a priority as building for the future around Luka Doncic.